Writing instruments equipped with clips for positioning such an instrument relative to a pocket and holding it in a pocket have been provided in a wide variety of shapes and forms. While such clips have been provided in a wide variety of forms, they in general have certain common characteristics. The characteristics are:
1) The clip itself is typically an elongated, yieldable element having a pocket face engaging projection at an end of the element remote from a connection of the element to the body of the writing instrument.
2) The elongate element is resiliently flexible such that it yields to permit a pocket face to be inserted between the projection and the body of the writing instrument while biasing the projection against the pocket face to clamp the instrument in the pocket.
One disadvantage of prior clips has been that the range of aesthetically pleasing designs available has been limited by the physical need for a resilient stem. A further disadvantage has been the tendency to cause excessive wear to a pocket face when writing instruments are frequently inserted and removed from a pocket. As a consequence, persons such as engineers who must frequently insert and remove writing instruments will resort to using unsightly pocket inserts which have flaps to overlie the pocket face to protect the pocket face from wear and soiling.